For One Night
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles wants to spend a romantic evening with Daphne, but she can't bear the thought of being away from her little boy. One-shot.


"Have a good time," Daphne said, hugging her five-year-old son tightly. She could hardly believe she and Niles were leaving him here overnight. It was the first time she'd been separated from David like this in years.

"Don't worry, Daph, we'll be fine," Martin reassured her. When Daphne continued to look at him uncertainly, Martin continued. "I'm going to teach my grandson everything there is to know about sports. Or at least as much as I can fit into one night." He laughed.

David wasn't quite sure what to make of the look on his mom's face. But he could hardly wait to spend the night with his grandfather. This would be a real guy's night.

"My love, they're going to be just fine," Niles said reassuringly. "We've got reservations, so we should get going." This trip had come about rather suddenly. A colleague of Niles' had booked a romantic trip with his wife, but suddenly couldn't go due to a family emergency. Rather than waste the money, he'd asked around to see if someone else could use the reservation. Niles readily agreed.

Daphne turned to her husband and smiled. She knew Niles couldn't wait to get her alone. She could only imagine what he had planned for tonight. "You're right. I'm being silly. Let's go."

Niles returned her smile. He could tell she wasn't really as ready for tonight as he was, but he hoped that she would soon forget all about their son. "We'll see you tomorrow, Dad. Don't corrupt my son too much." He grinned.

"Don't worry, son. I'm just going to teach him all about the Seahawks."

"I hope that doesn't mean I'll have to go to a bunch of baseball games now," Niles replied.

"You won't have to, I promise," Martin said, rolling his eyes at his son's mistake.

"Bye, David. Have fun with Grandpa, and be good!" Niles said to his son.

"Bye-bye, Dad." David waved.

Niles and Daphne drove away from Martin and Ronee's house. Daphne couldn't take her eyes off the place where their son would be spending the night. She didn't know why she felt this way. It was only for one night, and a romantic getaway was more than reason enough to be gone overnight. But still, Daphne was a mother.

Soon they had arrived at their hotel. After checking in, both changed their clothes. Niles wore a tuxedo, and Daphne wore a long, form-fitting black dress. They had reservations for dinner at a nearby restaurant, which was, of course, extremely formal.

"You look beautiful," was all Niles could say when he saw his wife's dress.

Daphne kissed him. "You always say that. And you look quite handsome yourself."

Niles could never help feeling a thrill whenever Daphne complimented him. He slipped his arm into hers, and they walked off to what would surely be an unforgettable romantic evening.

They found themselves seated at a table in the restaurant Niles had chosen. The place was very romantic, with small tables and very little lighting. But the candle on the table ensured that they could see each other perfectly. "I can't believe how you look tonight, Daphne." Niles always thought his wife looked beautiful, no matter what she wore, but in this setting, he found that he could hardly breathe while he looked at her.

Daphne blushed. She knew, in truth, she could never be as beautiful as Niles always told her she was. But somehow, his compliments always made her feel as if she were the only one in the room. "Thank you. This restaurant is lovely," she said, looking around. "I can hardly believe I'm here. It wasn't so long ago that I was working for your brother, and now look at me!"

"My love, believe me, no one looking at you right now can tell you haven't been coming to places like this all your life. You definitely belong here."

"Thanks," was all Daphne could say in response. Then she asked, "What do you suppose David is doing right now?"

Niles wished his wife could forget all about their little boy for a while. That had been the whole point of this trip. But, then again, one of the reasons he fell for her in the first place was the way she cared about others. "Well, I imagine he's having the time of his life. You know how he loves Dad."

Daphne smiled, thinking about the bond between Martin and his grandson. "I know I shouldn't be so worried, but I just can't stand the thought of him missing us, and not being there to comfort him."

"I'm sure that Dad is more than able to handle it if David becomes homesick. He'll undoubtedly let David stay up past his bedtime and eat too much junk food, but one night of that won't kill him. Daphne, if I thought for a second that David would be in serious danger in Dad's care, I would never have left him there. You just have to relax."

"You're right," Daphne replied. "I probably needed this night out. It's so nice to be here with you. Thank you so much." She leaned across the table, kissing him.

"Seeing you in that dress is all the thanks I need, Daphne. You've done so much for me over the years, starting with offering kindness and friendship to a very lonely man. For that, I'll love you as long as I live. The least I can do is make sure that you're happy and that you have everything you could ever want."

Daphne sighed contentedly. She missed David, there was no question about that. But he was her son, and she would always be grateful for him. If it weren't for Niles, she wouldn't even be a mother right now. Nor would she have so many of the other wonderful things in her life that she could never have afforded on her own. "I do have everything I want. More than I ever dreamed possible." She looked around again at the elegant restaurant. "I feel like I'm living a fairytale, and I owe it all to you." As she felt herself getting lost in Niles' eyes, Daphne finally understood that her son was probably enjoying his time with his grandfather. There was no need to worry about him. All she had to do was spend the rest of this memorable evening with the man she loved. What could ever be better than that?

**The End**


End file.
